Mythical Birds & Beasts from Many Lands

Rating:
Summary: Comparative mythology in terms of the birds and the beasts
Review: "Mythical Birds & Beasts from Many Lands" introduces young readers to some of the fabulous birds and beasts that people have believed existed for thousands of years throughout the world. Such animals have appeared in stories that have demonstrated their special powers, appearances, and realms, which have made them a vital part of the folklore of their cultures. Here is a collection of some of the best of those tales from around the world retold by Margaret Mayo and illustrated by Jane Ray in a folk-art style.

The ten birds and beasts within are as follows: (1) Pegasus: The Chimera, the Greek myth of the horse that could fly; (2) The Mermaid, based on an English story from Cornwall that reminds do not ever look at a mermaid; (3) The Unicorn, a traditional European story; (4) The Thunderbird, a Native American tale; (5) The Dragon, a story from China; (6) The Sea Serpent, a Scandanavian story told in the Orkney Islands about Jamie and the biggest, first, and father of all sea serpents; (7) The Feathered Snake, a story from Central America and Mexico on how music came to the world; (8) The Minotaur, another Greek Myth; (9) The Naga, a story from Burma about three fabulous eggs; and (10) The Phoenix, the Egyptian story about the bird of the sun. In the back of the book Mayo provides a bit more about each of these stories, telling not only where she got the tales, but other interesting tidbits about what we know about these birds and beasts.

As you would expect with such a collection the stories you have not heard before are the ones that most capture your attention. The Greek myths about Pegasus and the Minotaur are the most familiar, but the Feathered Snake and the Naga will be new creatures for most young readers. But the ones that I enjoyed the most were the new stories that I read about old and familiar creatures with the Mermaid, the Unicorn, and the Dragon. The interesting thing about these stories is the contrast between the European notion of the stories, in which there is almost always a human involved who slays the creature or falls victim to it, and stories from other parts of the world where the animals talk and take a much more active part in the proceedings. This is an interesting cultural distinction worth pursuing with young students.

Rating:
Summary: Comparative mythology in terms of the birds and the beasts
Review: "Mythical Birds & Beasts from Many Lands" introduces young readers to some of the fabulous birds and beasts that people have believed existed for thousands of years throughout the world. Such animals have appeared in stories that have demonstrated their special powers, appearances, and realms, which have made them a vital part of the folklore of their cultures. Here is a collection of some of the best of those tales from around the world retold by Margaret Mayo and illustrated by Jane Ray in a folk-art style.

The ten birds and beasts within are as follows: (1) Pegasus: The Chimera, the Greek myth of the horse that could fly; (2) The Mermaid, based on an English story from Cornwall that reminds do not ever look at a mermaid; (3) The Unicorn, a traditional European story; (4) The Thunderbird, a Native American tale; (5) The Dragon, a story from China; (6) The Sea Serpent, a Scandanavian story told in the Orkney Islands about Jamie and the biggest, first, and father of all sea serpents; (7) The Feathered Snake, a story from Central America and Mexico on how music came to the world; (8) The Minotaur, another Greek Myth; (9) The Naga, a story from Burma about three fabulous eggs; and (10) The Phoenix, the Egyptian story about the bird of the sun. In the back of the book Mayo provides a bit more about each of these stories, telling not only where she got the tales, but other interesting tidbits about what we know about these birds and beasts.

As you would expect with such a collection the stories you have not heard before are the ones that most capture your attention. The Greek myths about Pegasus and the Minotaur are the most familiar, but the Feathered Snake and the Naga will be new creatures for most young readers. But the ones that I enjoyed the most were the new stories that I read about old and familiar creatures with the Mermaid, the Unicorn, and the Dragon. The interesting thing about these stories is the contrast between the European notion of the stories, in which there is almost always a human involved who slays the creature or falls victim to it, and stories from other parts of the world where the animals talk and take a much more active part in the proceedings. This is an interesting cultural distinction worth pursuing with young students.

Rating:
Summary: Mythical Birds and Beasts
Review: My daughter loves myths and folk tales; and she really enjoyed Mythical Birds and Beasts. The illustrations are beautiful and numerous; the myths in language easy to understand. (This is not an extremely short book, however. Not a picture book.) It includes stories about famous mythical creatures such as the unicorn and mermaid, and some that I had never heard of before such as the feathered snake or the Naga.